Scoop (1987 film)
Encyclopedia
Scoop is a 1987
TV film directed by Gavin Millar
, adapted by William Boyd
from the 1938 satirical novel Scoop
by Evelyn Waugh
. It was produced by Sue Birtwistle with executive producers Nick Elliott and Patrick Garland. Original music was made by Stanley Myers
. The story is about a reporter sent to Ishmaelia (a fictional African state) by accident.
) acting on the orders of his much feared 'boss', Lord Copper (Donald Pleasence) tells William Boot
(Michael Maloney
) to cover the ongoing war as the correspondent for 'The Daily Beast'. Boot normally writes about British country life, but he's too timid, and worried about losing his job for good, to say otherwise when he's ordered overseas. Boot is soon up to his neck in intrigue. All the foreign journalists are confined to the capital of Ishmaelia, and they are not allowed to leave unless permission has been given by the Minister of Propaganda. The journalists all stick together, drinking and trying to pass time, but they watch each other jealously for signs that someone may have a story to send home. However, Lord Hitchcock, the correspondent for the Daily Brute is noticeably absent, and this sends the reporters on an insane quest into the desert in the hope of finding the sought after 'Scoop
'
The story is full of bizarre characters; an insane Swedish diplomat who goes berserk when he drinks too much Absinthe, the mysterious Mr. Baldwin (Herbert Lom
), and a German woman who claims she somehow or another lost her husband. The hapless William Boot appears to be completely out of his depth in the middle of all this chaos and confusion.
1987 in film
-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....
TV film directed by Gavin Millar
Gavin Millar
Gavin Millar is a Scottish film director, critic and television presenter.Millar's early career was as a film critic, most notably for The Listener from 1970 to 1984. He also contributed to Sight and Sound and The London Review of Books. With the film director Karel Reisz, he co-authored The...
, adapted by William Boyd
William Boyd (writer)
William Boyd, CBE is a Scottish novelist and screenwriter.-Biography:Of Scottish descent, Boyd spent his early life in Ghana and Nigeria, in Africa...
from the 1938 satirical novel Scoop
Scoop (novel)
Scoop is a 1938 novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, a satire of sensationalist journalism and foreign correspondence.-Plot:William Boot, a young man who lives in genteel poverty far from the iniquities of London, is contributor of nature notes to Lord Copper's Beast, a national newspaper...
by Evelyn Waugh
Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
. It was produced by Sue Birtwistle with executive producers Nick Elliott and Patrick Garland. Original music was made by Stanley Myers
Stanley Myers
Stanley Myers , was a prolific British film composer who scored over sixty films. Born in Birmingham, as a teenager Myers went to King Edward's School in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham...
. The story is about a reporter sent to Ishmaelia (a fictional African state) by accident.
Plot summary
In a case of mistaken identity, a naive young columnist for the Daily Beast is sent to cover a war in Ishmaelia. A confused editor, Mr. Salter (Denholm ElliottDenholm Elliott
Denholm Mitchell Elliott, CBE was an English film, television and theatre actor with over 120 film and television credits...
) acting on the orders of his much feared 'boss', Lord Copper (Donald Pleasence) tells William Boot
William Boot
William Boot is a fictional journalist who is the protagonist in the 1938 Evelyn Waugh comic novel Scoop.-Character:Boot is the young author of a regular column on country life for a London newspaper named the Daily Beast; his affected style is typified in the notorious sentence "Feather-footed...
(Michael Maloney
Michael Maloney
Michael Maloney is an English actor.Born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, Maloney's first television appearance was as Peter Barkworth's teenage son in the 1979 drama series, Telford's Change....
) to cover the ongoing war as the correspondent for 'The Daily Beast'. Boot normally writes about British country life, but he's too timid, and worried about losing his job for good, to say otherwise when he's ordered overseas. Boot is soon up to his neck in intrigue. All the foreign journalists are confined to the capital of Ishmaelia, and they are not allowed to leave unless permission has been given by the Minister of Propaganda. The journalists all stick together, drinking and trying to pass time, but they watch each other jealously for signs that someone may have a story to send home. However, Lord Hitchcock, the correspondent for the Daily Brute is noticeably absent, and this sends the reporters on an insane quest into the desert in the hope of finding the sought after 'Scoop
Scoop
-Related to journalism:* Scoop , a news story, particularly connotating a new or developing story with aspects of importance and excitement, normally an exclusive for the journalist involved...
'
The story is full of bizarre characters; an insane Swedish diplomat who goes berserk when he drinks too much Absinthe, the mysterious Mr. Baldwin (Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom is a Czech film actor, best known for his role as former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movie series.-Life and career:...
), and a German woman who claims she somehow or another lost her husband. The hapless William Boot appears to be completely out of his depth in the middle of all this chaos and confusion.
Primary Cast
- Denholm ElliottDenholm ElliottDenholm Mitchell Elliott, CBE was an English film, television and theatre actor with over 120 film and television credits...
as Mr. Salter - Michael HordernMichael HordernSir Michael Murray Hordern was an English actor, knighted in 1983 for his services to the theatre, which stretched back to before the Second World War.-Personal life:...
as Uncle Theodore - Herbert LomHerbert LomHerbert Lom is a Czech film actor, best known for his role as former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movie series.-Life and career:...
as Mr. Baldwin - Nicola PagettNicola PagettNicola Pagett is an English actress. She is best-known for her role as Elizabeth Bellamy in the 1970s TV drama series Upstairs, Downstairs.-Early life:She was educated at St...
as Julia Stitch - Donald PleasenceDonald PleasenceSir Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE, was a British actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades...
as Lord Copper - Renée SoutendijkRenée SoutendijkRenette Pauline Soutendijk, known as Renée Soutendijk, is a Dutch actress. She was a favorite star of director Paul Verhoeven's films and is perhaps best known for her work in his 1980 release Spetters. Her good looks and striking blond hair secured her status as a Dutch sex symbol in the 1980s...
as Kätchen - Michael MaloneyMichael MaloneyMichael Maloney is an English actor.Born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, Maloney's first television appearance was as Peter Barkworth's teenage son in the 1979 drama series, Telford's Change....
as William Boot - Sverre Anker OusdalSverre Anker OusdalSverre Anker Ousdal is a Norwegian actor born in Flekkefjord, Norway.-Biography:Ousdal made his debut in 1965 at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen...
as Erik Olafsen - Jack ShepherdJack ShepherdJack Shepherd is an English actor, playwright, theatre director, saxophone player and jazz pianist, who made his film debut in 1969 with All Neat in Black Stockings and The Virgin Soldiers. He is perhaps best known for his television roles, most notably the title role in detective drama Wycliffe...
as Corker